what not to wear

i have decided to dedicate today's posts to one of my favorite television shows. tlc's "what not to wear" ranks near the top of the shows i love and here's why...

other shows have tried to capture our attention by completely making someone over. "extreme makeover" was one of the first and then there was "the swan." both of these shows take dramatic cases of people who feel that they are in desperate need of a serious makeover and transform them from the "ugly ducklings" they believe they are into "swans."

the reason i don't like these shows is because by the end of the transformation, you would never be able to recognize the person. they are completely different... lasik surgery, breast enhancements, dental reconstruction, facial reconstruction... you name it, they did it and the results were... well, dramatic. take a look for yourself:

now granted, at the end of these shows, when the makeover is complete it is wonderful to watch as someone who has always perceived themselves as "ugly" sees that they too, can be beautiful. the gasps and tears show that they have carried a lot of pain around for most of their lives and they now feel ready to take on the world in a way that they've never felt able to before. the only problem... they no longer look like themselves and they've left portions of themselves on the operating room floor or added parts that were never there to begin with... beautiful now? sure, but... something seems inherently wrong with what it took to get there...

what i love about "what not to wear" is that one of their mantras is "dress your body the way it is now." sure, you may want to lose 50 pounds or tone up that tummy a bit, but guess what? you don't have that body now, and you don't have to wait to be "beautiful" until you reach those goals. you have what it takes right now... you just have to learn how to believe it!

the results are almost always still quite a bit dramatic. the people who are chosen for this show are usually equally as certain of their lack of beauty and are ALWAYS amazed at how much knowing what clothes to buy, how to style their hair, and how to wear makeup can really make a difference. to borrow a favorite phrase... "a little bit, goes a long way!"


so, here's to stacy, clinton, nick and carmendie... thanks for showing us that we are all beautiful and that it only takes a little self-confidence, belief, the right clothes, and some makeup to prove it!